MUSD investigates another million-dollar curriculum

Krista Roden and Wade Watson explain the need for a new English Language Arts curriculum. Photo by Michelle Chance

After approving a million-dollar-math curriculum in May, the Maricopa Unified School District is in talks of adopting a new English Language Arts platform by the end of the school year.

The ELA curriculum comes at an estimated $1.5 million price tag, according to a presentation at the MUSD governing board meeting Wednesday night.

“We feel that the ELA adoption will be a little more than the math (curriculum) just because of the supplementals and the resources that go into it,” said Krista Roden, director of teaching and learning.

In May, MUSD paid just over $1 million for new math curriculum using reserve funds.

Director of Curriculum and Instruction Wade Watson said, like the math platform, the ELA curriculum would span kindergarten through 12th grade. It’s also hoped it will boost test scores.

“We want to expose students to the material in the fashion that they see it on the test, so it’s not this brand-new experience for them,” Watson said.

The Roden and Watson curriculum team will be back at MUSD’s meeting on Aug. 23 to hear if the board will grant them permission to begin researching ELA curriculum vendors.

If approved, a new ELA platform could be adopted by April – the first time since 2004.